UCA1 overexpression is associated with less aggressive subtypes of bladder cancer

Non-coding RNA transcripts, incredible modulators of cisplatin chemo-resistance in bladder cancer through operating a broad spectrum of cellular processes and signaling mechanism

Bladder cancer (BC) is a highly frequent neoplasm in correlation with significant rate of morbidity, mortality, and cost. The onset of BC is predominantly triggered by environmental and/or occupational exposures to carcinogens, such as tobacco. There are two distinct pathways by which BC can be developed, including non-muscle-invasive papillary tumors (NMIBC) and non-papillary (or solid) muscle-invasive tumors (MIBC). The Cancer Genome Atlas project has further recognized key genetic drivers of MIBC along with its subtypes with particular properties and therapeutic responses; nonetheless, NMIBC is the predominant BC presentation among the suffering individuals. Radical cystoprostatectomy, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy have been verified to be the common therapeutic interventions in metastatic tumors, among which chemotherapeutics are more conventionally utilized. Although multiple chemo drugs have been broadly administered for BC treatment, cisplatin is reportedly the most effective chemo drug against the corresponding malignancy. Notwithstanding, tumor recurrence is usually occurred following the consumption of cisplatin regimens, particularly due to the progression of chemo-resistant trait. In this framework, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), as abundant RNA transcripts arise from the human genome, are introduced to serve as crucial contributors to tumor expansion and cisplatin chemo-resistance in bladder neoplasm. In the current review, we first investigated the best-known ncRNAs, i.e. microRNAs (miRNAs), long ncRNAs (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs), correlated with cisplatin chemo-resistance in BC cells and tissues. We noticed that these ncRNAs could mediate the BC-related cisplatin-resistant phenotype through diverse cellular processes and signaling mechanisms, reviewed here. Eventually, diagnostic and prognostic potential of ncRNAs, as well as their therapeutic capabilities were highlighted in regard to BC management.

A meta-analysis of UCA1 accuracy in the detection of bladder cancer

INTRODUCTION

Bladder cancer (BCa) exhibits a relatively high prevalence, yet convenient tools for its early detection are lacking. Our study aims to assess the diagnostic value of Urothelial Carcinoma-Associated 1 (UCA1) in the early detection of BCa.

METHODS

Systematic searches were performed in electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Science Direct, CNKI, Wanfang, and VIP) until 20 July 2023. QUADAS-2 was used for quality assessment, while Meta-DiSc 1.4 and STATA 14.0 were employed for statistical analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 1252 BCa patients and 779 controls, from 12 identified articles, were included. UCA1 showed strong discriminatory ability in BCa detection, with an overall sensitivity of 0.84 specificity of 0.91, and a 0.91 area under the curve (AUC). Strikingly, UCA1 expressed in urine and tissue exhibited higher diagnostic value (0.92 AUC) compared to that in blood (0.86 AUC). Furthermore, urine UCA1 demonstrated remarkable diagnostic performance with 91% sensitivity and 98% specificity. Deeks' funnel plot detected no substantial publication bias.

CONCLUSION

UCA1 could serve as a potential biomarker for BCa detection with good diagnostic performance. Besides, compared to UCA1 in blood, urine and tissue UCA1 exhibited higher diagnostic value. Further prospective clinical research is needed to corroborate the conclusion.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION

CRD42023463210.

Non-coding RNA and autophagy: Finding novel ways to improve the diagnostic management of bladder cancer

Major fraction of the human genome is transcribed in to the RNA but is not translated in to any specific functional protein. These transcribed but not translated RNA molecules are called as non-coding RNA (ncRNA). There are thousands of different non-coding RNAs present inside the cells, each regulating different cellular pathway/pathways. Over the last few decades non-coding RNAs have been found to be involved in various diseases including cancer. Non-coding RNAs are reported to function both as tumor enhancer and/or tumor suppressor in almost each type of cancer. Urothelial carcinoma of the urinary bladder is the second most common urogenital malignancy in the world. Over the last few decades, non-coding RNAs were demonstrated to be linked with bladder cancer progression by modulating different signalling pathways and cellular processes such as autophagy, metastasis, drug resistance and tumor proliferation. Due to the heterogeneity of bladder cancer cells more in-depth molecular characterization is needed to identify new diagnostic and treatment options. This review emphasizes the current findings on non-coding RNAs and their relationship with various oncological processes such as autophagy, and their applicability to the pathophysiology of bladder cancer. This may offer an understanding of evolving non-coding RNA-targeted diagnostic tools and new therapeutic approaches for bladder cancer management in the future.

Identification of Potential Biomarkers for Progression and Prognosis of Bladder Cancer by Comprehensive Bioinformatics Analysis

Background. Bladder cancer (BLCA) is a highly malignant tumor that develops in the urinary system. Identification of biomarkers in progression and prognosis is crucial for the treatment of BLCA. BLCA-related differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were authenticated by screening the DEGs and weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA). LASSO and SVM-RFE algorithms were utilized to screen the feature genes in BLCA. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan–Meier curve provided by the ‘survival' R package. The BLCA samples were clustered by hclust based on the immune score matrix calculated by the single-sample GSEA (ssGSEA) algorithm. The immune, stromal, and ESTIMATE scores of each BLCA patient were calculated by applying the ESTIMATE algorithm. ssGSEA was conducted to explore the function of characteristic genes in BLCA. The expression of characteristic genes in clinical cancer tissue, and the pericancerous tissue of BLCA patients was verified using qRT-PCR assays. A total of 189 BLCA-related DEGs were identified. Fourteen feature genes were defined by LASSO and SVM-RFE algorithms. Five characteristic genes, including SMYD2, GAPDHP1, ATP1A2, CILP, and THSD4, were related to the OS of BLCA. The correlation analysis of five characteristic genes and clinicopathological factors showed that five genes played a role in the progression of BLCA. Additionally, the expression of five characteristic genes in clinical cancer tissues and pericarcinomatous tissues from BLCA patients was verified by qRT-PCR, which was consistent with the result from the public database. Finally, we discovered five prognostic genes linked to BLCA progression, which might serve as a theoretical basis for prognosis and treatment targets for BLCA patients.

Immunohistochemistry as an accurate tool for the assessment of BRAF V600E and TP53 mutations in primary and metastatic melanoma

Metastatic melanoma is a fatal disease with poor prognosis. Ever since targeted therapy against oncogenic BRAF was approved, molecular profiling has become an integral part of the management of such patients. While molecular testing is not available in all pathology laboratories, immunohistochemistry (IHC) is a reliable screening option. The major objective of the present study was to evaluate whether IHC detection of BRAF and the tumor (suppressor) protein 53 gene (TP53) are reliable surrogates for mutation detection. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples of melanomas for which molecular data were previously obtained by targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) between January 2014 and February 2019 were immunostained with BRAF V600E and p53 antibodies. A blinded evaluation of the IHC slides was performed by two pathologists in order to evaluate inter-observer concordance (discordant cases were reviewed by a third observer). The associations between the results of IHC and molecular profiling were evaluated. The study included a series of 37 cases of which 15 harbored a BRAF mutation and five a TP53 mutation. IHC had an overall diagnostic accuracy of 93.9% for BRAF V600E and 68.8% for TP53 compared to NGS. A statistically significant association between the two diagnostic methods was obtained for BRAF V600E (P=0.0004) but not for p53 (P=0.3098) IHC. The κ coefficient for IHC assessment of p53 was 0.55 and that for BRAF V600E was 0.72. In conclusion, the present results evidenced that IHC staining is a reliable surrogate for NGS in identifying the BRAF V600E mutation, which may become an efficient screening tool. Aberrant expression of p53 on IHC is at times associated with TP53 mutations but it was not possible to establish a direct link.

Mechanistic study of lncRNA UCA1 promoting growth and cisplatin resistance in lung adenocarcinoma

Aim

This study aimed to explore the mechanism of LncRNA urothelial carcinoma-associated 1 (UCA1) promoting cisplatin resistance in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD).

Method

The UCA1 expression level in LUAD cell lines was detected by reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT‑qPCR). We overexpressed UCA1 in A549 cells and downregulated UCA1 in A549/DDP cells by the lentivirus‑mediated technique. Subsequently, in vitro, and in vivo functional experiments were performed to investigate the functional roles of UCA1 in the growth and metastasis of LUAD cell lines. Furthermore, RNA pulldown, mass spectrometry, and RNA immunoprecipitation technique were performed to analyze various downstream target factors regulated by UCA1.

Results

The results revealed a higher UCA1 expression level in A549/DDP cells and LUAD tissues than in A549 cells and adjacent cancer tissues. UCA1 expression was significantly associated with distant metastasis, clinical stage, and survival time of patients with LUAD. UCA1 overexpression significantly increased the proliferation, invasion, clone formation, and cisplatin resistance ability and enhanced the expression levels of proliferating cell nuclear antigen and excision repair cross-complementing gene 1 in A549 cells. However, these trends were mostly reversed after the knockdown of UCA1 in A549/DDP cells. Tumorigenic assays in nude mice showed that UCA1 knockdown significantly inhibited tumor growth and reduced cisplatin resistance. Enolase 1 was the RNA-binding protein (RBP) of UCA1.

Conclusion

Based on the results, we concluded that UCA1 promoted LUAD progression and cisplatin resistance and hence could be a potential diagnostic marker and therapeutic target in patients with LUAD.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12935-021-02207-0.

lncRNA and Mechanisms of Drug Resistance in Cancers of the Genitourinary System

Available systemic treatment options for cancers of the genitourinary system have experienced great progress in the last decade. However, a large proportion of patients eventually develop resistance to treatment, resulting in disease progression and shorter overall survival. Biomarkers indicating the increasing resistance to cancer therapies are yet to enter clinical routine. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) are non-protein coding RNA transcripts longer than 200 nucleotides that exert multiple types of regulatory functions of all known cellular processes. Increasing evidence supports the role of lncRNAs in cancer development and progression. Additionally, their involvement in the development of drug resistance across various cancer entities, including genitourinary malignancies, are starting to be discovered. Consequently, lncRNAs have been suggested as factors in novel therapeutic strategies to overcome drug resistance in cancer. In this review, the existing evidences on lncRNAs and their involvement in mechanisms of drug resistance in cancers of the genitourinary system, including renal cell carcinoma, bladder cancer, prostate cancer, and testicular cancer, will be highlighted and discussed to facilitate and encourage further research in this field. We summarize a significant number of lncRNAs with proposed pathways in drug resistance and available reported studies.

LncRNA00518 promotes cell proliferation through regulating miR-101 in bladder cancer

The purpose of our study is to elucidate the expression of lncRNA00518 (lnc00518) in the bladder cancer, and its potential mechanism in regulating the development of bladder cancer. The expression of lnc00518 in bladder cancer tissues and cells was examined by qRT-PCR. Correlation between lnc00518 expression with clinicopathologic characteristics and prognosis of bladder cancer patients was analyzed. In vitro effects of lnc00518 on the cellular behaviors of bladder cancer cells were explored. Moreover, in vivo effect of lnc00518 was evaluated by subcutaneous tumorigenesis in nude mice. The possible miRNA targets of lnc00518 were predicted by bioinformatics and further confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter gene assay, RIP and rescue experiments. Lnc00518 was highly expressed in bladder cancer tissues and cells. Lnc00518 expression was correlated with TNM staging and histological grade of bladder cancer. Besides, the overall survival was lower in bladder cancer patients with high expression of lnc00518 relative to those with low expression. Overexpression of lnc00518 enhanced proliferative, invasive, migratory potentials and clonality, but shortened G0/G1 phase of bladder cancer cells. Lnc00518 knockdown obtained the opposite trends. In vivo experiments revealed that lnc00518 knockdown inhibited subcutaneous tumorigenesis in nude mice. QRT-PCR results indicated that lnc00518 expression was negatively correlated with miRNA-101 expression in bladder cancer cells. Through dual-luciferase reporter gene assay and RIP, we confirmed the binding between lnc00518 and miRNA-101. Furthermore, EZH2 was verified to be the target of miRNA-101. MiRNA-101 knockdown reversed the inhibitory roles of lnc00518 knockdown in proliferative, migratory and invasive potentials of bladder cancer cells. Lnc00518 is highly expressed in bladder cancer and can be served as a predictor of poor prognosis. Lnc00518 promotes the proliferative, invasive and migratory potentials of bladder cancer by upregulating EZH2 via competitively binding to miRNA-101.